Archery target including a resilient shock absorbing lamination

ABSTRACT

This disclosure describes a laminated arrow stopping archery target including a first lamination of corrugated board with a target design thereon and a second lamination or pad of an elastic material into which the arrows normally penetrate and a third lamination of elastic material that is separated from said second layer but held in an attached relationship to said second lamination by a peripheral stretchable band that permits movement of said third lamination away from said second lamination when a penetrating arrow pierces the first and second laminations and exerts a force against said third lamination, and a back-up board as a fourth lamination being cemented to said third lamination to provide a stop for any arrow piercing the first, second and third laminations, said fourth lamination may also be spaced from said third lamination in a further embodiment.

[45H Oct. 2, 1973 United States Patent [191 Roloff et al.

ARCHERY TARGET INCLUDING A Primary Examiner-Richard C. P'inkham RESILIENT SHOCK ABSORBING Assistant ExaminerMarvin Sisk'ind LAMINATION Altorney-Howard T. Jeandron Inventors: August F. Rolot'i; Mina S. Roloff,

both of RD. 1, Box 182 H,

ABSTRACT Morganville, NJ. 07751 This disclosure describes a laminated arrow stopping {22] F'led: 12,1972 archery target including a first lamination of corru- 2 A L 314 3 gated board with a target design thereon and a second lamination or pad of an elastic material into which the arrows normally penetrate and a third lamination of [52] 2734102 B elastic material that is separated from said second layer [51] Till. F41] 3/00 but held in an attached relationship to i Second 273/102 102 B1 ination by a peripheral stretchable band that permits movement of said third lamination away from said sec- [58] Field of Search 273/lO2.4

BB 22 00 H 33 77 22 [56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,476,390 11/1969 ROlOff.............................

2,818,258 12/1957 Stem..........

3,367,660 2/1968 DiMaggio.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 0 Z J C V J 3/2 Z WV//////////////////A W N/ ill:- l

1 llnlll41444atlallAlalaaaiirvlll ARCHERY TARGET INCLUDING A RESILIENT SHOCK ABSORBING LAMINATION This is related to my US. Pat. No. 3,476,390 issued Nov. 4, 1969.

This invention relates to a laminated target and more particularly a target such as that used for archery, in which the arrow cannot completely pierce the target, but in which the arrowhead is not destroyed and can be removed or pulled out of the target without damage to the arrow or the target.

In archery many of the targets disclosed in the prior art are relatively soft objects that are easily pierced by an arrow thus making the target dangerous for anyone in back of the target and the target being easily destroyed after a plurality of piercing shots. Also this type of target wears the arrow shaft and destroys the arrow feathers after a plurality of shots. Still other patents disclosed in the prior art show piercable targets with a stop means or backup plate to stop the arrow from making a complete passage through the target, but stopping the passage of the arrow so abruptly as to, at times, blunt or break the arrow piercing head.

It is an object of this invention to provide a laminated target with a face that iseasily pierced by the projectile that is propelled at the target but in which the target is provided with a first shock absorbing layer to reduce and resist penetration of the projectile and a second shock absorbing layer to normally resist penetration through the target and a backup plate to prevent complete penetration of said target and a binding cover to retain said target components in a single package.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a target with a face that is easily pierced by the projectile that is propelled at the target but in which the target is provided with a shock absorbing layer to provide resistance to penetration of the arrow and a second shock absorbing layer to prevent complete penetration and said second shock absorbing layer flexibly mounted to absorb the shock of the impact of. said arrow and a backup plate to prevent complete penetration of said target and a binding element to retain said target components in a single package.

Further objects of this invention shallbe apparent by reference to the accompanying detailed description and the drawings in which FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a target,

FIG. 2 is an exploded cross sectional view of one embodiment of said target taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is an exploded cross sectional view of a further embodiment, and

FIG. 4 is a further embodiment of this invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is illustrated one embodiment of this invention in which a laminated archcry target is comprised of a combination of laminations consisting of a target print 12 mounted or marked upon a cardboard front lamination 14. The next lamination consists of a fairly thick first penetrable foam rubber lamination 15. Said foam rubber 15 is affixed to the cardboardlamination 1 2 with a silicone rubber cement. The silicone rubber cement is applied fairly thick to produce additional resistance to penetration of the arrow. Positioned adjacent the backside of the layer 15 is a bellows 16 of a springy material such as cardboard which is attached to the foam rubber layer 15 on one side and is attached on its other side to a second lamination 17 of elastic foam rubber. This bellow shaped layer is provided to draw the first and second laminations into adjacent relationship but to allow movement of the laminations away from each other with recoil to an adjacent surface relationship. A peripheral strip 18 of foam rubber is cemented to the periphery of said second foam rubber lamination 17 on the backside and on the opposite side of said peripheral strip, a backup board 19 is also cemented to the peripheral strip and a flexible cover 20 is wrapped around the target leaving the target face exposed to thus hold the laminations together but to allow movement inside the cover with each impact of an arrow. Said foam layer 15 is of a desired thickness of 3 to 4 inches according to the expected velocity of the arrows to be projected into said layer. For a minimum, a 3 inch layer with a density of 5-l0 lbs per cubic foot, compression of 20 to 30 percent and a resiliency of 30 to 65 percent may be used. Said foam layer 17 will be of a desired thickness of 3 to 4 inches with a slightly higher density pounds per cubic foot compression may be used. The peripheral strip 18 is provided to permit the degree of movement of the layer or lamination 17 and the backup board 19 is the abrupt and positive stop for any arrow having a greater velocity than the target is designed for, to prevent the penetration of that arrow beyond the surface of the backup board 19. The backup board 19 is preferably a masonite board designed to provide a maximum resistance to rupture (modulus of rupture 3000 p.s.i.). This masonite board has a. tensile strength (per panel) of 1500 p.s.i. when parallel to target laminations. The arrow shaft is usually inch or less in dimension thus producing a very small aperture in the foam material and when the arrow is withdrawn, the aperture in the material is reduced to a negligible degree. It is also to be noted that 'to increase the resistance to compression and piercing of the arrow, the face 17A of the foam rubber lamination 17 may be coated with silicone rubber thus strengthening the skin penetration of the lamination l7 and increasing the resistance to the flight of the arrow through the target. Referring to FIG. 3, the elastic stretchable lamination 16A may be deformed in various ways. To reduce the thickness of the target, this lamination may be formed as a single strip of elastic foam material (FIG. 3) having a high resistance to deformation and in this instance the single strip 16A is provided as a peripheral strip and is attached by silicone rubber to strip 15 in spaced intervals alOngthe side of the strip adjacent to lamination l5 and is likewise affixed to lamination 17 in equally staggered points along the face of strip 16 that abuts with lamination 17, but each attachment to 17 being positioned midway between each two attachments to lamination 15. Thus on impact of an arrow that has passed through laminations 12, 14 and 15, the lamination 17 will offer greater resistance to penetration and therefore the arrowhead will force the lamination rearward and the stretchable lamination 16A will deform as illustrated, but because of its elastic quality, after the impace of the arrow, it will recoil, bringing laminations l5 and 17 into adjacent relationship, especially after the arrow is withdrawn.

A foam rubber manufactured from natural or synthetic rubber can be used for laminations 15 and 17 and can be a foam comprising a suitable expanded thermoplastic or thermosetting resin composition. Flexible and rigid foams can be employed, and in the case of rigid resinous foams, then they preferably should have a compressive strength measured at per cent compression of 0.25 to 4 kg/cm and a resilience of 65 to 30 per cent when measured using a pendulum. Particularly preferred types of resinous foams are those having a compressive strength when measured at 10 per cent compression of 0.25 to 1.5 kglcm and a resilience of 65 to 40 per cent. When the laminations are to be composed of a flexible foam, then it should preferably have a compressive strength measured at 40 percent compression of 25 to 65 kg/cm and a resilience of to 35 percent.

Typical rigid foams arepolystyrene foam having a compressive strength measured at 10 per cent compression of about 0.4 kg/cm a resilience of about 60 per cent, and a Shore hardness of about 15, and polyethylene foam having a compressive strength of about 0.52 kglcm a resilience of about 58 per cent, and a Shore hardness of about 10. Other suitable types of rigid foams are foams manufactured from polyvinyl chloride, and examples of such rigid foams are those having a density of about 0.03 gm/cci, with a compressive strength of about 1.3 kglcm a resilience of about 32 per cent, and a Shore hardness of about 20, and those having a density of about 0.065 gm/cc with a compressive strength of about 3.6 kglcm and a resilience of about 34per cent, and a Shore hardness of about 40. Typical flexible foams which can be used are the polyurethane foams manufactured from a polyether, or polyester and a diisocyanate in known man- Thus the foam material has been found to have the best recovery action to partially close the arrow openings when the arrows are withdrawn and to maintain a surface that'retains its resistance to rupture even after many arrows have penetrated the foam material and are withdrawn.

Although we have stressed the use of foam rubber for embodiment to utilize a pad of similar thickness and size that may be comprised of a waste matrix of shredded or ribbonlike plastic fibers that are intermixed using a bonding agent and compressed to a desired degree to have similar characteristics to the foam rubber pad. The fibrous pad may utilize textile fibers, shredded textile or rubber fibers, plastic fibers, etc. The fibers may be random laid and compressed and a bonding agent may be used to hold the fibers within a desired degree'of compression so that the pad will have similar compressive strength, resiliency, shore hardness and density to the first embodiment.

In use with a target constructed according to this description and with a hang cord 11 installed, the target may be hung in a likely location or the target may be supported upon an easel for target practice. The target is usually set at a desired angle to accomodate the arching trajectory of an arrow. This target will accomodate the use of both heavy and light drawbows.

In use the target serves to stop arrows fired into the target and prevent their complete penetration. The target also retains the arrow with their partial penetration in a non-sagging position for scoring purposes. The degree of rupture of the first and second laminations is such that only the first laminations require replacement, while the resilient pad has a great deal of recovery when the arrows are removed and consequently a long life in use. i

Although we have stressed a particular round shaped target, it is to be understood that the target may be similarly imprinted on a square, triangular, or other shaped board and may be designed of any size as desired. It is to be further noted that with a flexible cover 20, the cover may be released from a laced relationship enclosing the target to permit the replacement of the first target printed lamination or paper or cardboard lamination to permit a new clean unruptured face to be installed for further target practice.

A still further embodiment of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 in which laminations 15A and 17A are fibrous pads of random fibers that are bonded together to provide a pad having similar characteristics to the foam pads of the previous embodiments. Pads 15A and 17A are separated by a peripheral layer 168 of similar fibrous composition and a plurality of textile attachment straps 21 are affixed or integral with layer 16B. Lamination or pad 15B is affixed to 16B and 16B is affixed to pad 17A with a bonding agent such as silicone rubber cement. A peripheral layer 18A of similar substance is cemented to the backside of pad 17A and a backup board 19 similar to the board of the previous embodiment is positioned adjacent to the peripheral strip 18A. To hold the lamination or board 19 in a tight fitting relationship there are a plurality of springs 22 that are attached at one end to the straps 21 and at the other end to the board 19. The springs are evenly divided so that any penetration of an arrow to abut with the backup board will simply push it back. The springs 22 will resist the movement of the board and when the arrow is withdrawn from the target, they will pull the board 19 back into alignment with pad 17A.

The design of the target may vary that is when the target is for use with light bows, the lamination, especially lamination 15, will be easily penetrated so that the arrow penetration provides a holding means for scoring. When the target is to be'used with the stronger bows, the resistance topenetration should be greater, therefore a greater density and therefore lesser compression but similar resiliency is desirable for the lamination 17 or pad 17A. In all embodiments it is to be understood that the arrows will penetrate the target face and the first foam layer or fibrous pad layer, as the case may be, but the target design is to resist the penetration through the second foam layer or fibrous pad and in all instances allow a degree of movement of the second layer as the impact of the arrow produces a thrust or force. It is also to be understood that the backup board will assist to absorb the shock of impact and prevent any arrow from passing through the target.

The invention described in detail in the foregoing specification is subject to changes and modifications without departing from the principle and spirit thereof. The terminology used is for purposes of description and not of limitation; the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An archery target that provides expansion with each piercing by an arrow and resumption of form when the arrow is removed comprising an easily piercable first lamination of cardboard having its face covered with a target, a second lamination of resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at 10 percent plus and a resiliency of 50 percent plus, a third lamination, a fourth lamination, said third lamination including means to normally bias the second and fourth laminations into adjacent relationship while allowing movement of the second and fourth laminations away from each other under impact of an arrow on the fourth lamination while retaining a tensile recoil back into said adjacent relationship, said forth lamination of a resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at less than but with a resiliency of about 32 percent and a fifth lamination as a peripheral strip of resilient elastomeric foam material as a spacer and a sixth lamination of masonite board to provide a back up stop for any arrow that shall pass through all other laminations of said target, said first and second laminations pasted together, said third lamination affixed on one side to the second lamination and on the other side to the fourth lamination, said fifth lamination formed as a peripheral strip and pasted to the backside of said fourth lamination and to the masonite board on its other side and a textile baglike cover fitted over the entire combination of laminations but with the open mouth of the baglike cover leaving the target face exposed.

2. In a device according to claim 1 in which said third lamination is a bellows.

3. In a device according to claim 1 in which said third lamination is an elastic foam strip that is affixed at spaced spots around its periphery on one side to the second lamination and at staggered spaced spots on its opposite side to the fourth lamination.

4. An archery target that provides expansion with each piercing by an arrow and resumption of form when the arrow is removed comprising an easily piercable first lamination of cardboard having its face covered with a target, a second lamination of resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at 10 percent plus and resiliency of 50 percent plus, a third lamination formed as a peripheral strip and supporting a plurality of spaced straps, a fourth lamination of a resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at less than 10 percent but with a resiliency of about 32 percent and a fifth lamination as a peripheral strip of resilient elastomeric foam material as a spacer and a sixth lamination of masonite board to provide a back up stop for any arrow that shall pass through all other laminations of said target, said first and second lamination pasted together, said third lamination affixed on one side to the second lamination and. on the other side to the fourth lamination, and a mas-onite board abutting said fifth lamination, a plurality of stretch springs affixed in special relationship, one end to each of said spaced straps and the other end to said masonite board in the same spaced relationship and a textile baglike cover fitted over the entire combination of laminations but with the open mouth of the baglike cover leaving the target face exposed. 

1. An archery target that provides expansion with each piercing by an arrow and resumption of form when the arrow is removed comprising an easily piercable first lamination of cardboard having its face covered with a target, a second lamination of resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at 10 percent plus and a resiliency of 50 percent plus, a third lamination, a fourth lamination, said third lamination including means to normally bias the second and fourth laminations into adjacent relationship while allowing movement of the second and fourth laminations away from each other under impact of an arrow on the fourth lamination while retaining a tensile recoil back into said adjacent relationship, said forth lamination of a resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at less than 10% but with a resiLiency of about 32 percent and a fifth lamination as a peripheral strip of resilient elastomeric foam material as a spacer and a sixth lamination of masonite board to provide a back up stop for any arrow that shall pass through all other laminations of said target, said first and second laminations pasted together, said third lamination affixed on one side to the second lamination and on the other side to the fourth lamination, said fifth lamination formed as a peripheral strip and pasted to the backside of said fourth lamination and to the masonite board on its other side and a textile baglike cover fitted over the entire combination of laminations but with the open mouth of the baglike cover leaving the target face exposed.
 2. In a device according to claim 1 in which said third lamination is a bellows.
 3. In a device according to claim 1 in which said third lamination is an elastic foam strip that is affixed at spaced spots around its periphery on one side to the second lamination and at staggered spaced spots on its opposite side to the fourth lamination.
 4. An archery target that provides expansion with each piercing by an arrow and resumption of form when the arrow is removed comprising an easily piercable first lamination of cardboard having its face covered with a target, a second lamination of resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at 10 percent plus and resiliency of 50 percent plus, a third lamination formed as a peripheral strip and supporting a plurality of spaced straps, a fourth lamination of a resilient elastomeric foam material having a compressive strength measured at less than 10 percent but with a resiliency of about 32 percent and a fifth lamination as a peripheral strip of resilient elastomeric foam material as a spacer and a sixth lamination of masonite board to provide a back up stop for any arrow that shall pass through all other laminations of said target, said first and second lamination pasted together, said third lamination affixed on one side to the second lamination and on the other side to the fourth lamination, and a masonite board abutting said fifth lamination, a plurality of stretch springs affixed in special relationship, one end to each of said spaced straps and the other end to said masonite board in the same spaced relationship and a textile baglike cover fitted over the entire combination of laminations but with the open mouth of the baglike cover leaving the target face exposed. 